I opened this cheese this weekend for a party, but did not put it out. Crumbly bitter paste that tasted a bit dirty/dusty (like I had cooked all the flavor out of my store bought chipotles and stirred in the dust). I guess I over-acidified by rehydrating my culture and waiting far too long to cut. <5 minute floc, but waited the 30 minutes to cut.

I've come into this thread a bit late, but I wanted to say that I too appreciate Yoav's thoughtful comments. I'm also encouraged by reading old posts of yours - I can see you have come a long way in cheesemaking, so maybe I can too.A cheese to you.Best wishesMargaret

Sorry to hear this one wasn't top shelf. Crumbly and bitter does sound like it was over acidified, and bitterness could be too much rennet (which would fit with the fast floc), and/or too much starter (which would change your acidity curve and can result in faster flocs as well).

Check out some of the caerphilly makes that are around. There's one that I quite like which involves cheddaring the curds, and there are some other procedures which don't have that. Try both as the results are good either way, but see which one you prefer. This won't end up like a cheddar, but it is ready in 3 or 4 weeks, so you can tweak your makes quickly.

Also, if you're willing to age one out 4 to 6 months, have a look for my 3rd Wensleydale thread. That produced the best cheddar type cheese I've ever made, and by far the best. I'm going to try and reproduce it myself, but on the assumption that the procedure is robust and stable, I highly recommend it. It is a fairly long make procedure, but it is worth it in the end.

- Jeff

Logged

The wise do not always start out on the right path, but they do know when to change course.

Thanks for the suggestions Jeff. Caerphilly was on my short list for just those reasons. This make was probably both too much starter and too much rennet (vegetable tablet kind). Now I am getting pretty consistent 12-14 minute flocs, so that's why I am hoping the next couple of stirred curd cheddars come out well. I'll try the Wensleydale as well.

Good luck Tomer. My home smoked chipotles have a bit less smoke than that. Smoky but sweet caramelization of the sugars dominates. Come to think of it, the chipotles I used were pretty darned smoke dominated. That could be the flavor I don't care for on top of the base cheese bitterness.

One of my early smoked chickens prompted my son's coworker to ask "Are you eating a campfire?" Now I try to put enough smoke to accent the flavor without dominating it. Live and learn.

Bob, my condolences on your disappointing Cheddar. I've had a few failures similar to that. Thankfully, there's more milk down the street when that happens and I "suck it up and drive on!" (sorry, old military jargon ), learning for the next time.

Thanks Boofer. I've had much more success since I found this site, thanks to helpful people like you and Jeff. A cheese to both of you. I also understand my other results and can correct for them next make. That's pretty cool.

As a retired military man myself that jargon bothers me not at all. I am staying in the fight, not bugging out yet.